BROOKLYN - Host St. Francis (NY) held off visiting NJIT on Saturday, winning 73-71 as a pair of potential game-tying layups rimmed out for the Highlanders in the final seconds.

SFC's Chauncey Hawkins went 1-of-2 from the foul line with seven seconds left to put the Terriers ahead by two. NJIT grabbed the rebound on Hawkins' miss, went the length of the floor and got off a pair of good looks that would've tied the game, but neither went down as St. Francis improved to 5-6 on the season, while the Highlanders dropped to 2-9.

The contest was back-and-forth throughout as there were 11 lead changes with neither squad leading by more than seven points.

St. Francis held the largest lead of the game, 61-54, with just over seven minutes left in the second half, but NJIT scored five straight and nine of the next 11 to tie the contest 63-63 on a jumper from Shyquan Gibbs with 3:43 on the clock.

Gibbs hit a free throw seconds later to give the Highlanders their first lead of the second half, only to have the Terriers come down the floor and score to go back in front.

St. Francis was able to get back in front by four points down the stretch, but a three-pointer from Diego Willis with nine seconds left put NJIT back within one.

The Highlanders immediately fouled Hawkins, setting up his 1-for-2 trip to the line and the aforementioned pair of near misses from NJIT.

Zach Cooks once again led NJIT in the scoring column, scoring 24 points on 5-of-11 shooting from the field. Gibbs, who never came off the floor on Saturday, finished with 14 points, five rebounds and three assists.

The Highlanders held a strong advantage on the boards, winning the battle 45-33, as Souleymane Diakite (13 rebounds) and Byron Breland III (nine rebounds) led the way. Diakite also scored 10 points to record his second double-double of the season.

Hawkins led St. Francis with 21 points, while Rob Higgins chipped in with 19.

NJIT will take the week off for final exams and return to action on Sunday, December 22, for its final non-conference home game of the regular season. The Highlanders will host Kean at 2pm in the WEC.